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Why Your Shorts Get Stuck at 400 Views...

Howto & Style

Introduction

So you keep posting YouTube shorts and they're not getting any views? Well, there are two main things you need to fix. Over the last year, I posted 40 shorts on my channel—some of them garnered just a couple thousand views, while others went completely viral. But why? When I cracked the code, I gained 34 million views and 95,000 subscribers in less than a year. So what's the real difference between a short that gets 100 views and a short that gets millions?

The Golden Metrics

The truth is that all successful shorts look exactly the same inside your YouTube analytics. This short I uploaded has 15 million views, but before the views came flying in, there were two golden signs that told me it was about to explode.

Viewed vs. Swiped Away Graph

This graph shows you the number of people who saw the start of your short and chose to continue watching instead of swiping away. This metric is extremely important. For shorts, the first 5 seconds need to grab attention and convince people to keep watching. This is your title and thumbnail for shorts.

  • For instance, 76% of people chose to watch my short that got 15 million views.
  • In my experience, if your short gets below 65-70% after a few days, it will stop getting recommended.

I have numerous examples: shorts with over 70% viewed vs. swiped away rate tend to get more than 1 million views. Conversely, shorts with lower rates see significantly fewer views.

Retention Throughout the Video

If people stop watching after the initial hook, you won't get recommended. You need to hold their attention throughout the entire video. A steep drop-off in the retention graph is a big red flag for the YouTube algorithm. If people are leaving your video, YouTube won't recommend it more.

A good retention rate (ideally over 80%) throughout the video is key. If your retention graph is flat, you're on the right track.

  • For example, one of my shorts with millions of views has an 89% retention rate.
  • On the other hand, shorts with lower retention rates didn't perform as well.

Getting Your Count to Move from Zero

It's crucial to give YouTube enough information when you upload so it can show your content to the right people—those actually interested in your niche and topic.

Optimizing From the Start

  • Use ideas that have already worked and put your own spin on them.
  • Research keywords related to your topic and use them in your title, description, and tags.
  • Adding relevant keywords increases your chances of being discovered outside of the shorts feed.

Using these methods, my shorts typically get between 1,000 and 3,000 views within the first day.

Why Does Growth Stop?

Your video needs to pass YouTube's big test. If those two golden metrics (viewed vs. swiped away and retention) aren't good, YouTube will stop recommending it completely.

Patience and Consistency

Most of my viral shorts popped off almost exactly 3 months after posting, even when those first two metrics were good. Viral shorts can continue to be pushed into the feed even years after uploading.

Quality Over Quantity

How many YouTube shorts should you post every week? Many YouTube gurus suggest posting as many shorts as possible, but we've found success by focusing on quality. By carefully choosing ideas from our best-performing long-form videos and re-optimizing them for shorts, we've managed to explode our channel with just 40 videos.

Passion Matters

Don't choose a topic just for its potential revenue. If you’re passionate about a subject, that energy is very engaging to watch, and people can tell. Genuine enthusiasm can keep viewers watching even if they don't initially have an interest in the topic.

Conclusion

Shorts can be a great way to grow your channel, but there are hidden dangers. Some channels say that posting too many shorts can harm your channel in the long run. The key is to research, optimize, and remain consistent in providing quality content that keeps viewers engaged.

Keywords

FAQ

Q: Why are the first 5 seconds of a YouTube short so important?
A: The first 5 seconds serve as your title and thumbnail. If you don't grab attention immediately, viewers will swipe away.

Q: What percentage should the viewed vs. swiped away rate be to consider it a good metric?
A: Ideally, it should be over 70% after a few days. Anything below 65-70% will likely stop getting recommended.

Q: What is a good retention rate for YouTube shorts?
A: Aim for a retention rate of over 80% to keep the audience engaged throughout the video.

Q: How do you ensure your shorts are shown to the right audience?
A: Use relevant keywords in your title, description, and tags to give YouTube enough information to recommend your content to the right people.

Q: Is it better to post more shorts or focus on the quality of each short?
A: Quality over quantity is key. Focus on creating high-quality videos with the best ideas rather than posting as many as possible.